Cap delivery and applying mechanism



' 1,614,4 1927' M, GOLDBERGER 67 CA5 DELIVERY AND APPLYING MECHANISMFiled August 10. 1921 6 shegts shii l 1 614 467 8 2 M. GOLDBERGER I CAPDELIVERY AND APPLYING MECHANISM Filed August 10. 1 1 '6 Sheets-Shut/70C/5-60 6 ant.

I I o q i r w MiL M. GOLDBERGER CAP DELIVERY AND APPLYING MECHANISM Jam.18, 1927.

Filed August 10, 1921 6 Sheets-sheaf 5 Z5111 73/1074" l/V/f/ 60% v Jan.18, 1927. ,61 ,467

M. GQLDBERGER CAP DELIVERYAND APPLYING MECHANISM Filed Aug st 10, 1921 6Sheets-Sheet 4 Jan. 18, 1927. 1,614,467

M. GOLDBERGER GAP DELIVERY AND AIPLYING MECHANiSM Filed August 10. 1921s Shelets-Sheet s j 1,614,467 Jan. 18,1927. MGOLDBERGER CAP DELIVERY ANDAPPLYING MECHANISM Filed August 10. 1921 6 Sheets-Sheet G Patented Jan.18, 1927.

umren stares MORRIS GOLDBERGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 CRESCOCREAMERY SUI- 1,614,467, Parent osrice.

FLY Gil, OF CHICAGO, ILLLIIEOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOES.

CAP DELIVERY AND AFJPLYING MECIHANISM.

Application filed August 10, 1921. Serial No. 491,090.

This invention relates to improvements in cap delivery and applyingmechanism, adapted especially for delivering and appl ing thin caps andlike closures to close receptacles, such as milk bottles and likecontainers. The mechanism is herein shown as designed for use inconnection with the filling machine shown in my prior United StatesLetters Patent Number 1356590, granted May 29, 1.923, but may beusedwith other types of filling machines or other machines to de liver thereceptacles, and certain essential features can also be employed as anonautomatic capping mechanism or one which is partially or whollyoperated by hand.

In the mechanism shown, embracing one embodiment of the invention, amagazine for a stack of caps and a capping'plunger guide cylinder areconnected in fixed relation to each other and to a table or casting attheir lower ends, in which is formed a cap delivery slot through whichcaps are transferred from a stack in the magazine in line with theplunger, to be by the plunger forced on the container mouth. The saidcaps are segregated from the stack and are transferred through said slotone at a time by an ejector or slide which is operatively connected tosaid plunger in a manner to alternate in operative cap delivery andsetting movements, respectively, and said operative connections aresuch, with respect to a stop for the ejector that the caps are deliveredin axial register with the plunger notwithstanding slightirregularitiesin said operative connections. he parts referred to, and which may aptlybe termed, as a whole, a capping head, can be operated as a hand machineby applying the head by hand to the mouth of a container, with the partsoperating in a semi-automatic way. When the capping mechanism isentirely automatic in its operation, the unitary structure, termed thehead, is supported to be automatically actuated by a drivina connectionto the re ceptacle carrier, whether said carrier be part of a bottlefilling machine or not, and there is a resilient or compensating elementin said connection to power LO compensate for containers differingsomewl at in height without danger of breaking} the container month byinternal expansion due to the cap setting plunger. .ihe mechanism isotherw se adjusted to adapt it to containers for different so calledstandard capacities of material,

such as pints, quarts, et cete'ra and which are expected to varyslightly in height to pro-' vide for variations in different containersadapted for the same quantity of material.

mitted to the plunger and ejector, and, therefore, no cap is delivered.

The foregoing brief description of the general structure and operationof the mechanism has been inserted to facilitate an understanding of thedescription of the and is not to be taken details which follow, asrestrictive or limiting. V V

Among the objects of the invention is to provide an improved operatingmechanism interconnecting between the capping plunger and the ejector bywhich to operate the latter through movement of the former, the

parts being so arranged that the mechanism for so 0 aeratin the alun erand e ector 7111' r b 2D be rendered inoperative in the absence of acontainer beneath the capping head.

A further object of the invention is to produce a resilient tippedcapping plunger for pressing the caps onto their seats in thereceptacle, so as to avoid chipping of glass when the receptacle is madeof vitreous material, particularly should a receptacle be deliveredunder the capping head when no cap is in position thereon, due either tothe magazine being out of caps or due to a miss for other reasons.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a mechanism of thischaracter means to adjust the same for containers of differentcapacities and heights and to containers of in height.

A further object of the invention is to provide an exceedingly simple,compact and eflicient capping mechanism for the purpose set forth whichpositively feeds the caps to the capping position and serves toaccurately center the caps relatively to cap the same capacity whichdiffer somewhat ping position, regardless of irregularities or wear inthe operating means for the ejector and without imposing crushing stresson the caps.

Other objects of the invention are to further improve and simplifycapping mechanisms for the general purpose set forth, and the inventionconsists in the combination and arrangements of the parts shown in thedrawings and described in the specification,.and is pointed out in theappended claims.

As shown in the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical elevation of a filling machine showing the mannerof applying my improved capping mechanism thereto, parts of the cappingmechanism driving means being shown in section.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the capping mechanism on the line 22of Figure 4, with the capping mechanism in its inoperative or elevatedposition.

Figure 3 is a similar view, with the capping mechanism in its lower oroperative position.

Figures 4 and 5 are horizontal views taken on the respective lines 4: 4:and 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the slide for giving movement to thecap ejector.

Figure 7 is a vertical section on the indirect line 7-7 of Figure 2.

"Figure 8 is a plan view of a cross head structure constituting aconnection between the capping head and its automatic drivingconnections.

Figure 9 illustrates a modification of the invention, showing it asembodied in a hand machine.

The filling machine shown in Figure 1, and to which one embodiment ofthe present invention may be applied, embraces, in general terms, a base10, a ro'tative filling tank 11, and a series of revoluble twinreceptacle holders 12 which are adapted to travel in orbital paths andto be controlled by switching mechanism similar to that shown in myaforesaid prior patent, whereby they are brought to rest at fillingstations beneath the filling nozzles 13 and beneath the cappingmechanism designated as a whole by The capping mechanism or headcomprises, in general terms, a guide cylinder 15, a plunger 16reciprocable therein, a cap magazine 17 parallel to said cylinder andsustained in an upright hollow support 17, which can be formed as acasting and a part integral with said cylinder, and means to deliver thelower caps C of a stack in the magazine in line with the plunger, tobeby the plunger seated in the mouth of the container B. At the bottom ofsaid cylinder and magazine base is a horizontal table designated as awhole by 18 in which is formed a horizontal cap delivery slot 19. whichextends across the bottom of: the magazine and across the lower end ofthe guide cylinder and in the path of the capping plunger and beneathwhich caps C are delivered by a reciprocating slide on ejector 19. aswill hereinafter more fully appear. Said table is shown as made up ofupper and lower plates 20, 21, respectively, locked together by capbolts 22, and the cap delivery slot is formed between said plates byspacing shims 23. This construction is preferred for manufacturingreasons and also because the cap delivery slot may by the use of saidshims be varied for caps of diiferent thicknesses.

The capping head thus far described is supported on the upper ends ofparallel driving bars 24 that are vertically reciprocated by connectionat their lower ends through a crank pin and yoke mechanism operativelyconnected to a worm gear enclosed in a casing at the side of the machinebase, shown in Figure 1 and fully described in my aforesaid patent. Onthe upper ends of said drive bars 24 abreast the capping mechanism, areguide sleeves 25 which are connected by a web 26 which centrally andrigidly includes a vertical cylinder 27. 28 designates a horizontalcross bar below the cylinder 27. It is apertured at its ends for thepassage of the driving bars 2-4.: and is locked to said bars by wheelscrews 29, whereby said cross bar moves fixedly with said driving bars.The wheel screws, when released, however, permit the capping head to bevertically adjusted to containers it of substantially standard heights,as will. be. hereinafter described. Small. variations in standardcapacity receptacles are taken care of by a compensating mechanism to behereinafter described. it may be stated here, however, that adjusting ofthe mechanism to said containers of different standard capacities may befixed by register marlrs 24- on the driving bars to register with thetops of the guide sleeves 25, as best shown in Figure 7, and thatintermediate height variations of containers can be accommodated by thecompensating means provided. The said compensating means can be made asfollows:

30 designates a stem which extends axially through the cylinder 27 andthrough its lower head and is threaded at its lower end to said crossbar 28. Surrounding the stem within the cylinder 27 and interposedbetween said lower head and a head 31 at the upper end of the stem is aspIral expansion spring 32. i. 3 designates a bracket arm, which isintegral with or fixed to the casting en'ibracing the web 26 and theguide sleeves 25 and the cylinder 27 and is curved about the magazine 17and extends towards the axis of the plunger 16 and apertured at itsextreme end to fit over the reduced upper nates an apertured cap platethrough which extends a stud bolt 36 that is threaded axially into saidplunger extension to bear on the cap plate 35 and to thereby coact withthe shouldered plunger to lock said plunger to the bracket. Theoperation of the compensating mechanism described. to adapt the machineto containers of varying height will be more fully hereinafterexplained.

37 designates a guide rod that is fixed at its upper end to the capplate 35 and extends downwardly alongside the plunger guide cylinder andengages an apertured guide lug 38 integral with said. cylinder. Aplunger restoring spring 39 surrounds said guide rod and is interposedbetween said guide 38 and plate to restore the plunger when the headbegins to rise after a capping opera tion.

The cap delivery slide or ejector 19 is formed on its inner or activeend with a concave edge 19 shaped to fit the caps so as to. hold thecaps centrally with respect to the ejector when traveling from themagazine to the capping station and thereby insures that the caps willbe delivered centrally beneath the plunger (Figure 5). The caps C whenso delivered to the capping station will be held there by frictionalcontact of its edge with the lower member 21 in line with a dischargeopening 21 of said plate above and coaxial with a concave centering lip21 which depends from said lower plate of the table in axial alignmentwith the plunger;s aid centering lip 21 solidly coacting with a memberwhich carries said slide to positively center the cap, as willhereinafter appear.

Referring now to the mounting of the slide or ejector l9 and to themanner of operating it in timed relation to the plunger, said parts aremade as follows:

The said ejector is shown as fixed to a horizontal reciprocating guidecarriage 45 (Figure 6) which is located immediately beneath the lowerplate 21 of the table 18, and is provided at its side margins with guideflanges 46 that bear against the side edges of the lower plate 21 ofsaid table to hold 'the said guide and the ejector fixed theretolaterally in place in operative moremeut. The ejector is applied to theupper faces of said flanges i6 and is attached thereto by means ofscrews 47. Said top faces of the guide flanges are in a horizontal planewhich brings the ejector in the plane of the cap delivery slot 19. Thefront end of the ejector guide is formed with a semi-cylindric recess 48which is adapted, in the forwardmost cap feeding movement of saidcarriage and ejector plate, to partially re ceive and strike thecircular lip that conends of the cam levers are hinged.

stitutes the centering month 21 The guide embraces substantiallyone-half the external circumference of the month 21 This con tact limitsnot onlythe forward throw of the ejector, but also by its embracingfunction holds the guide laterally in centering alignment, andconstitutes a registering factor to accurately center the caps at thecapping station, wholly through metal contact of rugged machine parts,and regardless to the continued movement of the plunger or wear in theparts that are operatively connected to said plunger and reciprocatesthe ejector. This is an important feature of the construction inasmuchas itinsures that the caps shall be delivered entirely to and centrallywith respect to the capping station, and in position to be presseddirectly onto the container month without distorting the caps. i

- 48, 48 designate links vhich are pivotally connected at their rearends by pivot pins 49 to the ejector guide and are likewise con nectedat their forward ends by pivots 50, at each side of the deliverymechanism, to depending arms 51, 51 which are fixed to or made integralwith the lower ends of i vertically swinglng cam bars or linksdesignated as a whole by 52. Saidcam bars are hinged at their upper endsto the opposite sides of the guide cylinder 15 by means of horizontalstuds or pins 53, the plane of whose axes lie in the vertical axis ofthe plunger 16. Said studs are threaded into thickened portions of thecapping cylinder and have cylindric ends on which the upper The leversare confined on said hinge pins by cotter pins 54 or like suitablefastening means. The cam bars are formed with curved cam slots 55 whichterminate at the lower ends of the bars in straight slotted portions 56,

57 designates a horizontal shaft that extends transversely through andfits tightly in a transverse opening in the capping plunger 16 andterminates outwardly beyond for extension through opposite, verticalslots 58 in the guide cylinder wall. The shaft 57 is provided at itsextended ends with bearing rollers 59 adapted to travel in the curvedand straight cam bar slots. Said rollers are confined from endwisemovement on said shaft 57 between two other rollers 60 surrounding saidshaft and being seated in fiat bottom recesses in the plunger 16, therollers 59 being held on said shaft 57 between the rollers 60 andwashers 62 surrounding the outer ends of said shaft and held thereon bycotter pins. By reason of the fact that the said 'shaft'57 thetransverse opening in the plunger and extends without friction throughthe said vertical slots 58 of substantial length in opposing sides ofsaid cylinder, the said plungfits closely in' er 16 is capable ofvertical motion relatively to its guide cylinder.

-The operation of the automatic capping mechanism just described is asfollows:

Figure 2 shows the mechanism in its uppermost or inoperative position,or that which it occupies when the driving crank pin, as shown in Figure1, is at the upper limit of its throw. In these positions of the parts,the table 18 and the plunger guide cylinder and cap magazine 17,constituting the capping head, are raised above the capping position ofthe container R. The plunger 16 is also elevated relatively to thecylinder 15. The shaft 57 is also elevated so as to bring its bearingrollers 59 into the upper curved slots 55 of the cam bars, therebythrough the lower ends of the cam bars and the arms 51 and the links 48,holding the cap feeding slide or ejector and its sliding carriage in itscap delivery position. A container is shown as in position below theplunger to receive a cap when the mechanism descends. The capping headdescends after a cap has been delivered and centered at the cappingstation by drawing down the driving bars 24 through the action of theaforesaid yoke, and all parts of the head and also the compensatingspring 32 uncompressed descend without other or operative movement untilthe centering mouth 21 strikes and exteriorly engages and confines thecontainer mouth 7". When said centering mouth strikes the containers andcenters and confines it, the plunger guide cylinder, magazine and thetable, together with the ejector mechanism ceases vertical movement. Thedriving bars 24 and bracket 38 continue to descend so as to force theplunger downwardly through the opening 21 and seats the cap onto thecontainer mouth. During this time the restoring spring 39 is beingcompressed but the spring 32 is sufficiently strong to carry the plungerdownwardly to its capping position without yielding to compression whenoperating on containers of standard heights.

If it be assumed that all given capacity containers were of the sameheight, the complete capping operation could be efliected withoutthecompensating spring 32. That is to say, there could be a solidconnection between the driving bars and the plunger. It is known,however, that standard capacity containers, such as quarts, pints, andso called creams differ in height, and it becomes necessary to providemeans which are brought into operation when the bracket 33 strikes thetop of the capping plunger guide cylinder to yield to compensate forsuch ditfereut heights. The variations in height are not great, but it asolid thrust were delivered directly through the plunger there would bea tendency to crush the container mouth outwardly if the capping end ofthe plunger were rigid. However, with the construction described, withthe part 21 encircling the container mouth, and with the bracket 33engaging the upper end of the cylinder, further downward movement of thedriving bars, now connected solidly to the guide cylinder, will becompensated by the spring 32 until the driving bars reach the lowermostlimit of their travel. This compensated pressure delivered on theplunger guide cylinders is transmitted enteriorly to the container bythe centering mouth 21 with little or no likelihood of crushing thecontainer mouth. In adjusting the mechanism for standard capacitycontainers the adjustment for each size, guided by the registering marks24 on the driving bars 24 will be for the highest known container of agiven capacity.

During the downward travel of the plunger relatively to the guidecylinder, the rollers 59 on the shaft 57 move downwardly in a straightpath and, by reason-of the curvature ofthe slots 55 of the cam bars 52,and by reason of the fact that the cam bars are hinged at their upperends to the then fixed guide cylinder 15, the said cam bars are swungrearwardly or towards the cap magazine, and thus, through the arms 5iand links 48, force the ejector guide and the ejector 19 backwardly tothe position shown in Figure 8, during the time that said rollers aretraveling through the curved slots 55 of said cam bars. lVhen the saidbearing rollers of the shaft 57 enter the straight port-ions 56 of saidcam bars in the down stroke of the capping plunger, the ejector hasreached the limit of its retracting movement, as shown in Figure 3, andduring the remainder of the throw of the plunger 16 the cam bars willremain stationary, while the advance end of the plunger strkes a cap 0,that is at its capping station over the container R. The plunger, as itdescends and strikes the cap, drives the cap downardly through thedischarge opening 2i into the month of the receptacle to seat it on theshoulder r Preferably, and as herein shown, the lower tip end 65 of thecapping plunger is made of a yieldable material, such, for instance, asrubber, so that it may more gently force the cap from the position shownin Figure 2 to the receptacle, when the parts are in position shown inFigure 3, but principally for the purpose of avoiding chipping of themouth of the receptacle as the cap is seated therein, such would occurit the receptacle were made out of a vitreous material and the end ofthe plunger be rigid or nonyield ng.

After the cap has been pressed home on its seat in the container and thedriving and cross bars 24- and 28 begin to rise from the position shownin Figure 8, the spring 59 serves to restore the plunger to its upwardposition relatively to the guide cylinder until the parts in theircontinued movement reaches the position shown in Figure 2. During thefirst part of the rising stroke of the plunger, the rollers 59 of thecross shaft 57 move vertically through the straight portion 56 of theslots of the cam bars, and, during their travel through saidstraightportions, they impart no movement to the cap feeding ejector. Saidrollers 59 in their continued rise pass into and through the curvedslots of the cam bars and swing them forwardly to the position shown inFigure 2, and thereby operate, through the links 48 and ejector guide,to force said cap feeding ejector against the lowermost cap C and tocarry said cap through the cap delivery slot 19 to the capping stationat the bottom of the plunger guide cylinder 15. The cap deliveryreciprocation of the ejector is arrested by solid metal contact of thecurved stop and cap centering shoulder 48 on the ejector guide andsupport with the depending circular lip of the receptacle positivelycentralizing mouth 21 thereby centering a delivered cap coaxial with thecapping plunger and in position for proper contact therewith by theplunger in'the next descending stroke of the latter and without imposingcentering stress on the cap in a way tending to crush'it. When theejector guide and support is thus arrested in the position shown inFigure 2, the movement of the slotted cam bars is also arrested in theposi tion' therein shown. Thus further upward movement of the plungerserves, through the rollers 59 of the shaft 57, the cross slots 55 and58 of thecam bars and cylinder wall, respectively, and the pivotedconnections of the cam bars with the cylinder, to raise said cylinderand thereby the table 20 and cap magazine to their highest position. Theparts will come to, rest when the driving bars24: are at the uppermostlimit of their stroke with the cross bar 28 pressing upwardly againstthe bottom of the compensating cylinder 27.

At the beginning of the next down stroke of the driving bars 24:, theentire mechanism thus supported thereby descends with said bars untilthe centralizing mouth of the table 20 comes into contact with the mouthof r another container R, whereupon the plunger 16 begins its nextdownward stroke relatively to the guide cylinder to, force the lastplaced cap G from the capping station onto the mouth of the container,and to also retract the ejector, in the manner before described, belowthe lowermost cap of the stack in the magazine and in rear thereof, tobe ready to advance said lowermost cap to the capping station in thenext upward stroke of the plunger. These operations are continued solong as the magazine is filled with caps and receptacles are deliveredthereto. In the event that there should be a miss in presenting areceptacle beneath the centralizing mouth of the capping mechanism, itwill be obvious that the down stroke of the driving bars 24.- willmerely carry the entire mechanism down as a unitary strum 'ture, andwithout imparting relative movement of the plunger to the guidecylinder, and without actuating the ejector. Under such conditions itwill be obvious that no cap will be delivered. Preferably a centralopening intersectng the cap delivery slot 19 will be formed in the lowerplate 21 of the table 18, so as to thereby permit access to a deformedcap or a cap out of proper alignment. Also the upstanding support 17 forthe cap magazine may be slotted as shown at 71, to enable the caps to beseparated in the event of tendency of them to adhere to each other andalso to enable the finger to be held under the stack to hold the stackfrom sliding down in the magazine when the latter, which is detachablefrom its support 17 is being placed, after being charged or'filled, intosaid support. in Figure 9 is shown a modification ofthe invention toadapt it to a hand machine. The principal operative parts of themechanism for feeding the caps to the capping station and for guidingthe plunger is the same as in the construction before described, andlike parts bear the same reference letters. As shown in Figure '9, theplunger 16 is operated by a suitably shaped hand piece 70, having aformation to adapt it tothe hand of the user. Said hand piece isprovided with a flanged foot 71 which has a downwardly opening socket toreceive the reduced upper end 72 of the plunger, and said parts may befixed together by a cross pin 73. i

in operation, the device is placed with the centering lip 21 over themouth 'of the container and the device is held by one hand in properalignment to the container while the plunger is depressed by graspingthe hand piece 70. The modified capper becomes, therefore,semi-automatic in its operation, it'being manually applied to the mouthof the container, and the feeding of the caps from the magazine and thepressing'of the caps over the'mouth of the container being automatic. Insaidconstruction the foot 71 assumes the function of both the bracket 33and plate 35 and the guide rod 87 is fixed to said flanged foot 71 inthe manner and for the same purposes as applied in the previouslydescribed construction. i

I claim: I

1. A capping mechanism comprising a' guide cylinder having an openend=,cap do livery means to intermittently deliver aps to said cylinderend, a plunger reciprocable inthe cylinder to force the caps sodelivered upon the aligned mouth of a container, a

=, guide stud on said plunger gnidingly engaging said cylinder, and camand link connections between said plunger and said cap delivery means tooperate the latter through movement of the plunger, including a slottedcam arm pivoted to said cylinder on an axis that intersects the verticalaxis of said plunger and engaged by said stud, said stud being in thevertical plane of said slotted, lever pivot.

2. A capping mechanism comprising a guide cylinder having an open, capsetting end and around said. end with a cylindric stop surfaceconcentric to the axis of said open end, means to intermittently delivercaps across said open cylinder end, a cap setting plunger reciprocablein said cylinder, said delivery means including a concavely curved stopand centering :tace to closely embrace said circular stop surface tostop and to center said delivery means, and therefore, a cap relativelyto the axis of said centering plunger, and operative connections betweensaid plunger and said cap delivery means to actuate the latter.

8. A capping mechanism comprising a guide cylinder for a cap settingplunger having an open capsetting end and formed concentrically to theaxis of said cylinder with a nrved stop surface at said end,

*7 means to intermittently deliver caps across said open cylinder endcomprising a thin ejector member engageable with the caps and a slidingcarriage to carry said ejector, said carriage having a curved concavestop and centering face to en age and closely embrace said curved stopsurface through a large angular extent, a plunger reciprocablecin thecylinder to set the caps so delivered across said open end upon thealigned mouth of a container therebelow, and operative connectionsbetween the plunger and the, cap feed means to actuate the latterto,deliver caps to said capping p0sition during the upward throw oi saidplunger.

i, A, capping mechanism comprising a table having a cap dischargeopening and a cap delivery slot-intersecting said opening', a guide?cylinder'coaxial with said discharge opening provided with a slotparallel to the axis of said cylinder, a plunger reciprocablein saidcylinder and through said cap discharge opening, means to deliver capsthrough said slot across said opening, a cam member pivoted on an axiswhich intersects the axis of said plunger to said cylinder andoperatively connected to said cap delivery means, and a member carriedby the plunger vertically below said cam memberpivot and extendingthrough the said cylinder slot for operative engagement with said cammember.

5. A capping mechanism comprising a table having a cap discharge openingand a cap delivery slot intersecting said opening, a guide cylindercoaxial with said discharge opening provided with a longitudinal slot, aplunger reciprocable in said cylinder and through said cap dischargeopening, means to deliver caps through said delivery slot across saidopening, a member pivoted to said cylinder and provided with a curvedcam face and adapted to cross said slot of the guide cylinder, a studsubstantially in the vertical plane of the axis of said cam member pivotand fixed to said plunger and extending through said cylinder slot andengaging the cam face of the member, and a connection between the freeend of saidcam member and said cap delivery means to actuate the latterthrough reciprocating movement of said plunger.

6. A capping mechanism comprising a table having a cap discharge openingand axially below said opening with a centering mouth for a containerand having an ex ternally cylindric stop and centering surface, saidtable being provided with cap delivery slot which intersects saiddischarge opening, a guide cylinder coaxial with said discharge opening,a plunger reciprocable in said cylinder and through said cap dischargeopening, an ejector travelable through said slot to deliver caps acrosssaid discharge opening, an ejector support slidable on said table, andmeans to operate said ejector support alternately with said plunger,said ejector support being provided with a concave shoulder to embraceand to engage said stop and centering surface to limit cap feed travel,and to maintain lateral registration of, said support, and to therebycentralize said. caps relatively to said mouth.

7. In a capping mechanism, a capping plunger, a cylinder in which theplunger is adapted to reciprocate and to at times move with the plungeras a unit, means to deliver caps in the path of said plunger, a drivingmeans having movement in a path parallel to the reciprocation. of saidplunger, a bracket connecting: said driving means to said plunger andspaced from said cylinder, whereby initial movement of the driving meansand bracket imparts reciprocation to said plunger in said cylinder untilthe said bracket strikes said cylinder, and a compensating spring insaid driving means to permit continued movement of the driving meanswhen the cylinder is stationary 8. A capping mechanism comprising aguide cylinder having an open ejector end and formed at its side with aslot parallel to the axis of the cylinder, means to intermittentlydeliver caps across said ejector- TNT rad

end, a plunger reciprocable in the cylinder to force the caps sodelivered upon an aligned mouth of a container, and connections betweensaid plunger and cap delivery means embracing a lever pivoted on a studfixed to said cylinder to swing on an axis which intersects the axis ofthe cylinder, said lever being provided with a cam surface which in theupper position of the plunger lies across the cylinder plunger, and astud extending through said slot to engage the cam face of said leverwhen the plunger is in its upper position.

9. A capping mechanism comprising a guide cylinder having an openejector end, and means to deliver caps across said ejector endcomprising a slidable ejector plate to embrace and center the caps incapping position when delivering the caps, and an ejector plate supportprovided with a partcylindrie stop to engage a fixed, like shaped, stopmember on the mechanism to center the cap in its capping position.-

10. In a capping mechanism, the combi nation With a'verticallyreciprocatory cap setting plunger, and cap delivery means to delivercaps into the path of said plunger, to be thereby seated in the mouth ofan underneath container, said cap delivery means including ahorizontally reciprocable slide 'upon which the caps are fed, and meansto give movement to said slide to carry caps in line with said plungercomprising a swinging arm having a curved cam face and a straight faceand operatively connected to said slide, a pivot for said arm Whose axisintersects and lies in the plane of the vertical axis of said plunger,and a verticallv movable member engageable with the cam and straightfaces of said arm and lying with its axis parallel to that of said armpivot.

11. In a capping mechanism, the combination with a verticallyreciprocatory cap setting plunger, and cap delivery means to delivercaps into the path of said plunger, to be thereby seated in the mouth ofan un: derneath container, said cap delivery means including ahorizontally reciprocable slide upon which the caps are fed, and meansto give movement to said slide to carry caps in line with said plungercomprising a swinging arm having a curved cam face and a straight faceand operatively connected to said slide, a pivot for said arm whose axisintersects and lies in the plane of the vertical axis of said plunger,and means movable in a path lying in the vertical axis of said plungerto engage the faces of and to operate saidcam arm.

In Witness whereof I claim the foregoing as my invention, I hereuntoappend my sig nature this 8 day of August, 1921;

MORRIS GOLDBERGER.

